Mindmapping -- A Technique For Remembering Your Content

I have a terrible time remembering the content, or "flow" of my speeches. I'm prone to blanking on what's supposed to come next. I've tried several techniques with varying success, and want to share one of the ones that has worked best for me -- mindmapping.

To use mindmapping, I start from a central idea (my topic), and then I place my content, in order, around that center. When I need to recall specifics about a subtopic, I likewise arrange subitems around that subtopic. I prefer drawings and pictures to words because it's easier for me to remember the pictures as I move through my speech. It's also very easy to glance at the diagram as "notes" to figure out what comes next, without having to try to read a lot of notes to find my place. I use the drawing both for rehearsal (to memorize the order of my content), and sometimes for the performance as well (as notes).

I've shown the mindmap I used for one of my actual speeches. (Click on the diagram for a larger version.) The center was left blank in this case because I had no trouble remembering the topic -- it was "Joined at the Hip". The speech begins in the upper left (about 11 o'clock), and progresses clockwise around the center circle. If you want to hear the corresponding speech, it will be available here for a limited time.

This technique works extremely well for me because I am a visually-oriented person. I can easily visualize this diagram in my head after seeing it a few times. Having everything as drawings helps especially in this regard -- words in the same locations would be much harder to picture in my head.

Remembering the progression through your content can be challenging, and I recommend using whatever works best for you. Mindmapping has worked well for me, and can be a powerful technique to improve your recall of your speeches. Try it the next time if you find yourself during a speech wondering, "What do I say next?"

Help! My Speech Is Too Long!

How often has this happened to you? Your speech is planned for 5-7 minutes, but on your first rehearsal, you find yourself going on for 10-12 minutes.

It happens to all of us. I have a real phobia of running over my time, almost as if "disqualification" is followed immediately by flogging. I'll share a couple tips that I've used to cope with it.

In preparing my speeches, I usually plan "optional" material. I plan an extra side point or two -- nothing critical for the listener to remember, but still of interest -- and points which fit in well right before my conclusion.

Next, I time my conclusion. Let's say that my conclusion runs about one minute in length. If my speech is supposed to be 5-7 minutes, this means that I have to start my conclusion by at least 6:30 or risk being disqualified for running over 7:30 (and being flogged). As I speak, I watch for the green, yellow, and red flags. I know that once I see the green, I can skip all the optional points and still qualify. At the yellow, I have to wrap up whatever I'm talking about and start my conclusion -- quickly. Red? I'm toast. (Flogged toast, but toast none the less.) My ideal goal is to include some of the optional points, finishing them right at the yellow light, meaning my conclusion will finish right as the red appears.

This concept dovetails into a recommendation by Darren LaCroix in the current Toastmasters magazine. When cutting down a speech, he recommends not only cutting down the number of words, but also cutting down the number of ideas. Don't cut anything critical that your listener must remember; cut points that are side points, or just add flavor to your central theme.

The same technique can be used for longer speeches, even those lasting hours. On longer speeches, I recommend planning breaks, or at least breaking the speech up into clear sections. You can prepare optional material like this for each section, then watch your progress in each section and decide whether to include the optional points for that section. If it's a 15 minute section and you're already near the end at 12 minutes, include it. If you're running late, or questions have slowed you down, then cut it.

If you worry about meeting your time goals as I do, or if you are just interested in using every second of stage time you are allowed, consider preparing optional material and making a decision while speaking how much of it you need or can include to get your perfect time!

Using Callbacks

Whenever you use a phrase from earlier in your speech, especially a phrase that got a laugh, you are using a "callback". Using callbacks is a technique which works because it builds on a previously established relationship or shared joke, even if a very small one. When the phrase is humorous, often each callback brings out the same or even a larger laugh.

For instance, if someone notices that you're wearing a polo shirt which bears your employer's logo, you remark, "It's not just a job. It's a wardrobe", which is likely to get a laugh. Later, when talking about the doughnuts you scored in the breakroom, you can say, "It's not just a job. It's a free buffet". If you have to work late, "It's not just a job. It's a paying lounge act", and so on.

If you listen to many comedy routines, you'll find that many comics incorporate callbacks like these into their routines. Dennis Miller and Rita Rudner are masters at it, selecting one particular callback and using it throughout their routines, often ending with the same callback.

Callbacks are an effective way to generate rapport with your audience, get them involved, and build on each successive laugh. Incorporate them into your speech, and end with a humorous callback to leave the stage with the audience laughing!